Cable-hauling and body-dumping mechanism



L. M. SPENCER.

CABLE HAULING AND BODY DUMPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29, 1918.

1,424,425, Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET l.

l V/ TN 1115151119 I\ V/i/V TO/I L. M. SPENCER.

CABLE HAULING AND BODY DUMPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29, I9l8.

Patented Aug. 1, 1922.,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JNVENTOR L. M. SPENCER.

CABLE HAULING AND BODY DUMPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.Z9. I918. 1,424,,425, Patented Aug. 1 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

LYI ENTUR MIYNESSES:

L- M. SPENCER.

CABLE HAULING AND BODY DUMPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29. 1918.

1 24,425, Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

W1 YYVESSES LOUIS IVI. SPENCER, OF HIGH LAND PARK, MICHIGAN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 29, 1918.

To (11/ 20/107 it may concern.

Be it known that I, LOUIS M. SPENCER, a citizen of the Fnited States, and residing at Highland Park. in the county of Vayne and State of Michigan. have invented a new and Improved (ableHauling and Body- Dumping Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

in my applications for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 137,093, filed December 15, 1916, and 176,648, filed June 25, 1917, I have shown and claimed a hydraulic hoist mounted on a truck or tractor and mechanism whereby it may be either utilized to tilt a dump bodylocated on the truck or a second dump body one trailer, or both, at will. As shown therein,'the necessary connections are made by hooking or shackling the desired cable or set of cables to the piston rod or by otherwise selectively or simultaneously placing said cables under the influence of the piston rod with which the hoist is provided.

The present invention relates particularly to means whereby the dill'erent connections may be more readily made. but it may be applied in installations in which the hoist is used for purposes other than the tilting of vehicle bodies and is ol' application generally where it is desired to employ the pensive hoisting unit. in this instance the cylinder, piston, piston rod. pump. clutch. clc., for dual purposes. ll is applicable also to hoists other than'ot' the hydraulic type. l'or.e:\'an'1plc. to screw hoists. as will be understood later,

()ne l'eature ol' the invention resides in a pair of hooks or the like movable transversely ot the piston rod or the equivalent and adapted to be picked up by the latter to actuate either one or the other of two independent hoisting 0r hauling cables.

The invention further consists in a pair o'l' cijumecting elements sylnmetrically disposed with rcl'erence to a longitudinal plane through the piston rod. and means 101' simultaneously moving said elements into or from the path ol travel of the piston rod construction to connect them to or remove them from the influence thereof.

Another l' alurc oi the invention resides Patented Aug. 31, 1922. Serial No. 251,907.

in means for automatically properly positioning the connecting elements with reference to the plane about which they are intended to be symmetrical; the invention also consists in means for properly positioning the elements with reference to a plane at right angles to the above mentioned plane.

The invention is also concerned with certain improvements in the means located on the trailer or semi-trailer whereby the mo tion of the piston rod or the like on the truck or tractor is reproduced to tilt the trailer body.

The invention also consists in a six wheel vehicle comprising a tractor and a semitrailer together with a hydraulic hoist mounted on the tractor, cable means lead ing from the tractor to the semi-trailer and means on the latter actuated by the cable means for tilting the body of the semitrailer; also in means whereby the hoist may be utilized to lift the semi-trailer free and clear from the pivot mechanism by which it is normally connected to the tractor.

The invention further consists in certain features of construction shown, described and claii'ned.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a side view showing a preferred embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view corresponding thereto, parts being broken away and the trailer body being omitted. Fig. 3 is a section on about the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing the general arrangement of the pump and associated parts, which, for sake of clearness, are omitted in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a similar enlarged fragmentary view of the upper end portion of the unit. Figs 5 and (3 are a side view and a plan view, respectively corres mnding to Fig. 4. Figs.

'7 and 8 are fragmentary views correspomling to Figs. 4 and 5 and showing a modification wlurrein the dillerentconnections are independently made. Fig. 9 is an ei'ilarged fragmentary front view of the hoisting mechanism on the trailer. Fig. 10 is a side view corresponding thereto. parts being broken away. Fig. 11 is a section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10, the sheave guard being removed. Fig. 12 a fragmentarplan view showing the spacer bar t'or holdported for ing the trailer spaced from the truck, the draw bar being omitted. Fig. 13 is a side view showing. the application of the mechanism whiclra'ppears in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 to a two-wheeled trailer. Fig. 14 shows the manner of lifting the trailer frame from the pulling vehicle. V

The truck, as indicated in Figfil, includes the frame 1, the body 2 tiltable thereon about the pivots 3, and the upstanding hydraulic cylinder 4 which contains a piston, not shown, and has the piston rod 6 projecting therefrom. A pump 8, driven from the propelhng engine 9, as by the shaft 10 and chain 11, Fig. 3, draws oil through the suction pipe 12' from the expansion chamber 13 and upper end of the cylinder and expels. it through-the pressure pipe 14 back into the cylinder below the piston, thus causmg the'. latter to rise. The piston rod 6 is provided with a cross arm or head 16. The construction thus far described is well known as is the association there-with of apair of pulleys l8, cables 19, equalizing bar 20, anchorstrap-21 and body arms 22 whereby the piston 'rodtilts th truck body. lldw ever, the pulleys have heretofore in practicebeen permanently attached to the cross arm-whereas in the presentinstance they are readily detachable therefrom as pointed out later.

Supported on the expansion upper end way as, for example, by means of the guide flanges 30-31 with which the tank or the cylinder head 32 may be provided, are a pair of plates 35 which may be slid forward and back under the cross arm or head.

tank or the Ihese plates 35 are joined at their front and rear ends to form a chair or support by bolts 36 that .pass through tubular spacers 38. Any suitable means, for instance, a spring pressed plunger 39, Fig. 5, adapted to be received in either of the holes 40 in one of the plates serves to retain the support at one limit or the other of its movement against accidental displacement but permits it to be grasping the front spacer 38 and pulling forwardly or pushing backwardly thereon as the case may be. I am aware, as suggested above, that the plates may be supmovement relative to the piston rod in various ways other than that shown. The plates are preferably each provided in their upper surfaces with a front notch 42 and a rear notch 43.

Arranged to be received in the notches 42 is a cross bar 41 the central portion of which is curved to clear the piston rod (Fig. 6) and the ends of which are preferaby welded in slots in the hooks or hook bars 45 to the lower ends of which cables et6 are attached. The lower surface of the cross bar His inclined between the plates35- as inof the cylinder in any suitable shifted easily by a driverdicated at 48, Fig'.- 4, from whiohit follows that the hook bars are normally maintained symmetrically disposed with reference to the longitudinal central vertical plane of the cylinder; and the position of the notches 42 is such that the hooks 15 at the upper ends of the bars 45 are centrally above the cross arm 16 when the chair is at its rearward limit of movement whereas, when the chair is at its limit of movement forwardly (Fig. 5), the hooks 45 are out of the path of the cross arm,

In likemanner, the pivot pins 50 of the pulleys 18 are hung in straps 51 that are themselves pivoted at- 52 to hooks 53, and the latter are joined by a cross bar 5% which is, except in matter of length, the counter part of the cross bar 14. The bar 54, as will be readily understood. is adapted to rest in the notches 13; when in the position shown in Fig. 5, the hooks are in the path of the cross arm and will be picked up or caught and elevated thereby; however, when the chair is at the limit of its inovenimit rearwardly, they are out of the way. Wei-c no means provided to'prevent it, the weight of the pulleys and associated parts would tend to swing the hooks 53 countercloclc wise (Fig. in the notches 43 back into the path of the cross armthe'hooks arc therefore provided with lugs that he in the planes of the straps 51 below the center lines of the pins 52. The same thing may be accomplished in other ways, for example, the straps may be made integral with the hooks, but the construction shown is preferred since it lends itself readily to commercial processes of manufacture.

To repeat :lVhen the parts are in the position shown (Fig. 5), the hooks 53 will be caught by the rising cross arm and the truck body tilted, whereas when the chair is shifted backwardly the hooks 45-15 will in turn be lifted. The reverse arrangement would be less desirable since the hooks might be in the way of the llslllg truck body. Moreover, the jarring of the vehicle. acting through the surfaces 18 and the upper surfaces of the notchcs 42-43, automatically tends to center both sets of hooks properly with reference to the vertical longitudinal plane of the vehicle which includes the center line of the piston.

It is evident that the hooks 45-45 migh be replaced by a second pair of hooks and pulleys the counterpart of the elements 15 53 and that the latter might likewise be replaced by a second pair of hooks 4 45. In any event, the chair is held in one of its limiting positions and gravity niaintains the pairs of hooks always properly positioned. both longitudinally and trans versely, on the chair so that the stresses 1n the piston rod are minimized and. for the most part. in direct compression. I

As indicated in Figs. 7 and 8, the two sets of hooks may be independently operated by using in lieu of each plate 35 a pair of plates 35 and 35", and by cutting away the upper rear portions of the former and the upper front portions of the latter at 56 and 57, respectively, to provide clearance for the hook cross bars when the latter are resting in the notches 42 and 43. Two retaining elements 39--40 which may be the same in construction as the parts 39-40, are of course, provided. The piston rod may thus be made-to simultaneously pull both sets of cables, or may be freed from both, and used for other purposes if desired, or may be used to actuate either set at will. It will also be understood that in some instances it may be necessary to employ but one shiftable set, the other cables being actuated whenever the piston rod is projected.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cables 46 pass down through pulleys 60 on the base 61 of the hoist and thence rearwardly to the four wheeled trailer. While the'means for utilizing the cables to tilt the trailer body 62 about the pivots 63 on the frame 64 is subject to wide variation, it is preferred to employ the mechanism shown, since it not only provides for low clearance and high tilting but also requires very few accurate machining operations. This mechanism includes a base 65 mounted on cross bars 66 and having threaded therein an upstanding pipe 68 which is, in turn, threaded into a head 69 that includes in its front portion the ears 70 between which the shaft 71 of the double pulley 72 is mounted. At the rear the head is provided with a roller 73 mounted on the shaft 74 that is carried in ears 75 joined and braced by the web 76.

These parts, which may be manufactured with very little machine work, constitute a guide that is preferably braced by the laterally and forwardly diverging tension rods 78 which preferably extend to the outer ends of the front cross bar 66.

Reciprocable in the guide is a thrust bar 80, preferably formed of a pressed metal channel having its web cut away at its lower end at 80' to allow clearance for the spherically faced roller 81 that turns on a shaft 82 hearing in the flanges of the thrust bar. The diameter of the roller is slightly less than the inner diameter of pipe 68. Just above the roller is a cross pin 83 to which the cable 84 that is detachably connected to the cables 46 in any suitable waysay at the point 85, this connection being omitted in Fig. 2-is anchored, for example, by forming it in a single run and looping it about the pin. In the embodiment shown both strands of the cable 84 pass around a double pulley 86 which is pivotally secured to the base 65 by the links 87 and pins 88-89,- and the cable is prevented from leaving the pulley 72 by means of a guard which is formed of a transverse strap 120 mounted on the ears 70 and riveted or welded at 121 to the circumferentially extending element 122. The upper end portion of the thrust bar bears at its rear side on the roller 73 or at its front side (of the web portion) on the face of the pulley 72, depending on which way it may tend to swing, thus minimizing friction and at the same time bracing the thrust bar at a point substantially at the top of the guide. The clearance between the roller 73, the pulley 72, and the thrust bar being small, and the distance from the roller shaft 82 to the shaft 74 being relatively great, even when the thrust bar is in its uppermost position, the motion of the thrust bar is substantially rectilinear.

The connection between the thrust bar and the body may be varied: as shown, it comprises a cross arm 90, pulleys 91, cables 92, equalizer 93, anchor strap 94 and body arms 95, which may be duplicates, respectively, of the parts 16, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 heretofore described.

For the purpose of relieving the drawbar 96 of thrust when the trailer body is being dumped, the rear cross bar of the truck frame and the front cross bar of the trailer frame may be provided with brackets 97 and 98 between which the spacer bar 99 of any suitable construction, say a pipe section, is supported at such timessee Fig. 12. The draw bar might, of course, be of the thrust receiving type, as shown and claimed in my above identified applications.

Certain features of the invention are applicable advantageously to that type of trailer known as the semi-trailerFigs. 13 and 14. In this case, the cylinder 4, piston rod 6, together with the associated pump and related mechanism (not shown, but preferably the same as heretofore described) are carried on the tractor frame 100. The hooks 101 alone are used and the cables 102 that correspond to the cables 46, lead rearwardly through pulleys 103, which correspond to the pulleys 60, to certain mechanism indicated as a whole by 105 and corresponding in construction to those parts previously described as positioned on the four wheel trailer, whereby the body 108 may be tilted about the pivots 109 as before. It is desirable that the mechanism 105 be positioned with the axis of the tubing or pipe substantially in alignment with that of the fifth wheel or pivot 110 thus minimizing the tendencyto tension the cables 102 as the trailer swings. By providing a little slack in the cables, all necessary relative movements may be permitted.

By disconnecting the cables 102 (which may be accomplished by disconnecting the pulleys 103, or in any other preferred manfore wish to be limited ner) and connecting cables 111 between the cross bar 16 and a suitable anchorage or anchorages112 on the front end of the trailer frame 114. the latter may be elevated as shown in Fig. 14: to allow the insertion of a suitable support (not shown), so that either one of a pluralityof the trailers may be used with a single pulling vehicle as in com mon practice with s'.uch vehicles.

One main advantage in mounting the hoisting cylinder on the tractor, as distinguished from semi-trailer construct-ions heretofore used wherein the cylinder is mounted on the semi-trailer frame, resides in the ease with which the connections between the pump and the cylinder may be maintained. it being understood that the pressures are necessarily so high as to make it a matter of great clifliculty to prevent leakage when the cylinder is on the trailer frame and the pump on the tractor. The present construction is also advantageous over installations in which both pump and cylinder might be mounted on the trailer frame, since it would then be diflicult, if not impractical to drive the pump from the propelling engine.

It is evident that the construction of the hook attaching and detaching niechanism may be modified within wide limits without departingfrom the spirit of the invention; and it'is again pointed out that this mechanism may be used for many purposes additional to or other than the tilting of trailer bodies, such, for-examp1e,'as the hoisting or dragging of loadsi'nto the vehicle, or the operation of loading skips external to the vehiclea-nd the.li l e. The invention is also applicable to horizontal cylinders and'cable hauling mechanism as well as to the vertical or upright type. I do not, there: except as indicated by the subjoined claims.

1. In mechanism of the class described, a guide, a member reciprocable therein, supporting means, a-pulling element adapted to be actuated by the reciprocable member and.

also adapted to rest .on the supporting means, said supportingmeans being shiftable to connect the pulling element to the reciprocable-memberoand to disconnect it therefrom at will.

2. In combination. a reciprocable bar having a cross head or :arm, a pair of connected hook-like element's adapted to co-act with and be actuated by the cross head or arm at points substantially equally distant from the center line of thejbar, a movable support for said elements whereby they may be shifted into the path of'the cross head or arm or may be removed therefrom at will.

3; Cable hauling mechanism comprising a reciprocable bar, a hook-like element, a movable transfer'support for the element so constructed and arranged that. the latter may be supported thereby and moved into or from the path of the bar at will.

4. Pick-up mechanism for cable hauling means comprising a reciprocable bar, a hooklike element to be actuated thereby, means such as a chair, upon which the element is adapted to rest, said means being movable to carry the element into the path of the bar at will, and said? bar being arranged to thereafter remove the element :from the means on which it is adapted to rest.

5. In mechanism of the class described, av reciprocable member, a hook or the like adapted to be actuated thereby, andmeans for normally supporting the hook and for properly centering it with reference to the line of travel of the reciprocable member, said means being movable to remove the hook from the path of the reciprocable member at will.

, 6. A reciprocable member, a guide in which the member travels, a pair of hooks adapted to be moved into and from the path of travel of the member, and means for selectively moving the books into and from said path.

7. In mechanism of the class described, a guide, a member reciprocable therein, supporting means, pulling elements adapted to be actuated by the reciprocable member and also adapted to rest on the supporting means, said supporting means being shift able to carry either of the pulling elements into the path of the reciprocable member at will.

8. A vehicle comprising an upstanding cylinder. a piston rod reclprocable therein and projecting from the upper end thereof, a pulling element adapted to'be actuated by the piston rod, and a shiftable support for the pulling element whereby said elementmay be operably connected to, or disconnected from the piston rod at will 9. A vehicle comprising an upstanding guide. a member reciprocable therein and projecting from the upper end thereof, a pulling element adapted to be actuated by the member, and means carried by the upper end portion of the guide for automatically disconnecting said element from the member as the latter a1.)proaches the limit of its downward movement.

10. A vehicle comprising a guide, a menr ber reci 'irocable therein. cable mechanism adapted to be actuated by the member, and means for automatically disconnecting said cable mechanism from the membcr as the latter ap 'iroaches the limit of its movement in one direction. said means being shiftable to thereafter maintaiii thc cable mechanism disconnected from the member.

11. In com'bimition. a I't('l1f)l'()('t1l)l member including a cross head or arm, a pair of pulling elemcnts adapted to be simultaneously caught and carried along by the cross head or arm, a chair or support upon which the pulling elements are normally supported, the parts being so constructed and arranged that vibration or jarring tends to maintain the pulling elements equally spaced from the center line of the reciprocable member.

12. In combination, a reciprocable member, guides extending transversely of the member on opposite sides thereof, a chair slidable in said guides, the upper surface of the-chair being notched, a cross bar arranged to normally rest in the notch when the reciprocable member is at one point in its movement, a pair of hooks one secured to each end of the cross bar, said hooks be ing arranged in the path of the reciprocable member when the chair is in one position I and being removed from the path of the reciprocable member when the chair is in another position.

. 13. In combination, a reciprocable member, guides extending transversely of the member on opposite sides thereof, a chair slidable in said guides, a cross bar arranged to bear on said chair at two points spaced from one another and carrying a pair of hooks one near each end, said cross bar being shaped to co-operate with the chair to automatically space the hooks equally from a longitudinal central plane through the re ciprocable member, whereby when the chair is shifted .the hooks are caught up by the reciprocable member and twisting stress s in the latter are substantially eliminated.

14. A vehicle comprising a frame, a body tiltable about a horizontal axis near the rear end thereof, an upstanding guide forwardly of the body, a member reciprocable in said guide, a pair of pulleys adapted to be actuated by said member, cable means passing over said pulleys and connected to the front end portion of the body whereby the body "is tilted when the reciprocable member is pro-- jected, hook-like elements whereby the sheaves are supported, and means for supporting the hook-like elements independently of the reciprocable member when the latter is in lowered position, said last named means being shiftable to carry the hook-like elements into the path of the reciprocable member and remove them therefrom at will.

15. In combination with a tiltable receptacle, an upstanding guide adjacent thereto, a member reciprocable therein, means adapted to be actuated by the member for tilting the receptacle, said means including, a pair of shiftable elements adapted to be moved into orfrom the path of the member, and means carried by the upper end portion of the guide for thus moving said elements at will.

16. A vehicle comprising, a body tiltable about a horizontal axis near the rear end of of the body, a member reciprocable in the guide, cable means adaped to be actuated by the reciprocable member for tilting the body,'and means carried by the guide and operable from the front side thereof for connecting the cable means to the reciprocable member or disconnecting it therefrom at will when the body is in lowered position.

17. In combination, a pulling vehicle including a propelling engine and a cable hauling mechanism driven by said engine, a trailer having a tiltable body joined to the pulling vehicle by a draw bar connection, means on the trailer and actuated by the cable hauling mechanism for tilting the body at will, and a detachable thrust bar, independent of the draw bar connection, for spacing the vehicles apart when the body is being tilted.

18. Hoisting mechanism comprising a guide, a member reciprocable therein, a pulling element drawn in one direction by said member and tending to draw. said member in the opposite direction, and means for automatically disconnecting said element from said member as the latter approaches the limit of its movement in said opposite direction.

19. In combination, supporting means, a reciprocable member, a pair of pulling elements normally carried by said support and adapted to be drawn by said member in one direction from said supporting means, said elements being automatically centered on said supporting means with reference to the line of travel of said member.

20. Pick-up mechanism for a pair of spaced pulling elements comprising a reciprocable member, and supporting means for said elements on which they are loosely carried and on which they are automatically centered with reference to the line of travel of said member by their own weight.

21. In combination, a hook, a reciprocable member adapted to fit into said hook and to elevate the latter, and laterally shiftable means normally supporting said hook with its curved portion sufiiciently (above said member to permit said hook being shifted. by said means into or from the path of said member at will.

22. In combination with a tiltable receptacle, an upstanding guide adjacent thereto, a member reciprocable therein and including a cross-arm, and means actuated thereby for tilting said receptacle, said means in cluding a pair of pulling elements one for each-end of said cross-arm, and movable supporting means for said -elements arranged to simultaneously move said elements into or from the path of said cross-arm at will. 1

23. Cable hauling mechanism comprising a reciprocable member, pairs of pulling ole ments adapted to be moved into and from the path of travel of said member so as to elements in one direction, means connecting said elements, and shiftable supporting means for said connecting means constructed andarranged to present said elements in the path of travel of said member at substantially equal distances from the center line. thereof.

LOUIS M. SPENCER. 

